True Gold corn seed
You had mentioned you grew True Gold OP corn. Where do you purchase your seed? The only place we could find any was from a company in Canada. Also, we tried planting Country Gentlemen Corn. How do you prevent it from toppling over (it’s 7 feet tall) in the wind?
Brad & Rhona Barrie
Strong, Maine
I got my True Gold from Seed Dreams in California and have saved seed since. You can also find it at several online companies such as Grow Organic, Cornucopia Seeds, and ABC Grow.
You can hill up tall corn just like you do potatoes if you are having trouble with it toppling in the wind. — Jackie
Carrots not germinating
I think that it is great that you let groups tour your garden and animals. When we home schooled we so appreciated everyone who would let us tour their business or property.
I am having carrot problems this year. I have planted twice and always get one to germinate here and there. Is it the weather, seeds (scarlet nantes) or something I’m doing. Your carrots always are so big and orange!! Any ideas as to what is happening? Can I still plant this year or wait for next spring? What kind of carrot seeds do you plant?
Cindy Hills
Wild Rose, Wisconsin
We love teaching folks (especially kids!) about homesteading and gardening.
Your carrot seed/germinating plants are probably drying up and dying before they come up. That’s common with carrots as the seedling sprout is SO tiny. Make sure you keep your carrot rows watered gently so the soil remains barely damp all the time until they have germinated strongly. Then water often so they don’t dry out. Many new carrot seedlings dry out and die at this time.
I’d wait until next year as most carrots require at least 55 days to mature and we probably don’t have that long before the weather gets so cold as it would slow down or stop carrot growth. However, if you really want to harvest carrots this year, go ahead and plant, then cover the row with a low hoop-supported plastic row cover. That should get you by. — Jackie
Pickling crock
I used an old 5-gal. pickling crock inherited from our parents to make brine sweet pickles. This season the crock began to form some kind of crystals on the outside, salt? The crystals form along craze lines in the sides of the crock. The crock also seems to ooze moisture, but this could be condensation, hard to say. The towel it sets on gets moist over several hours. I used a recipe that’s been used for two generations and never had problems before. That recipe does not call for adding salt every day. I notice the new recipes in the new books do call for adding salt every day. Should I keep using the crock or retire it? Are my pickles safe to eat? I water-bath can them.
Lorraine & Ed Dowdle
Show Low, Arizona
I doubt that your crock is oozing moisture; they are famous for holding condensation, which is why water stored in a crock (or pickles!) stays cool in hot weather. The crystals could possibly be sugar from your pickles if there are also cracks or craze lines inside the crock. The brine may be slowly oozing through the crock and the sugar (or salt) forming crystals on the outside as the brine dries.
If your pickles turn out well, I’d probably keep using the crock until the leakage gets worse. Yes, they are safe to eat if they look, smell, and feel normal. Many new recipes are made to keep us safe from ourselves and aren’t necessarily “better” recipes. — Jackie
Ellendra,
Good point. Okay I used a poor word “holding” condensation. I meant attracting condensation. If you’ve ever used a crock water cooler, you’ll quickly see how it does cool the water…maybe by the evaporation carrying away the heat???
Jackie
I just wanted to say that I love your comment:
“Many new recipes are made to keep us safe from ourselves and aren’t necessarily “better” recipes.”
That is just so true and wise.
Sorry to be a nit-picker here, but, well, I’m being a nit-picker:
“I doubt that your crock is oozing moisture; they are famous for holding condensation, which is why water stored in a crock (or pickles!) stays cool in hot weather. ”
Actually, if ceramic is unglazed it does allow moisture to seep through. It’s the evaporation of this moisture that results in cooling. And, if there are minerals in the water they can be carried through the ceramic, and then left behind when the water evaporates, resulting in crystals.
I have never heard of the phrase “holding condensation”. Condensation is humidity from the air that collects on cooler objects as a result of condensation (hence the name). While it’s possible to collect condensation, it wouldn’t result in cooling. Just the opposite, the process transfers heat to the object being condensed on, just as evaporation carries heat away.
Carrots: Napoli is a 55 day carrot that can be fall planted and will overwinter very well. This may be about a month late to plant, but I’m doing it right now (the soil is still warm) and putting a low tunnel over them. As it gets colder and the plants get larger, I add straw and a floating row cover inside the tunnel over them. Don’t expect much growth in December and January. If your winter sowing doesn’t work, Napoli is also an extra early sowing carrot for spring, inside or outside of a tunnel. You can get seed from Veseys, Johnnys, Seeds of Change and Cooks Garden. They are bright orange, have a good carrot taste and freeze well but they are not a big, really long carrot. Mine haven’t had as much top growth as most carrots. Try scooping out a very shallow trench for your seed, put a thin layer of sand in the trench, water it, plant your seed, and cover the seed with a thin cover of sand. Soak the trench but water gently so you don’t disturb the seed. As Jackie said, drying out is what kills most germinating carrot seed. You can lay a board or wet newspaper over the trench until the seed germinates. Both will help keep the soil moist. Winter carrots are wonderful, so if it doesn’t work this year don’t give it up. You can also start now and winter over Italian kale, turnips, kohlrabi (but get the short season fast maturing type seed).
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